Canyon Color for the Painter: A Plein Air Workshop
with Carol Douglas
March 9-13, 2026 | *Monday – Friday
All 2-D Mediums – click the Materials List tab above for more info.
All Levels of Experience – New artists are welcome, but please email the instructor for preparatory exercises and to be sure you’ve got the right supplies and equipment.
*The first class meeting on Monday starts at the Sedona Arts Center at 10 am, subsequent meeting times/locations will be announced by the instructor during class.
Transform your plein air painting skills in this unique week-long oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor workshop. You’ll focus on color from every angle and apply advanced color concepts to your work. Color theory is not just a collection of good ideas; it’s the cornerstone of your toolbox. Using practical lessons and exercises, you’ll take what you’ve learned about color and use it to enhance your artistic vision.
Discover shortcuts to save you time and effort in the studio or field.
Learn how to lead with color and create a color strategy before you pick up a brush.
Choose the most effective color system for your purpose and master its application.
This painting class is open to all mediums. Basic painting experience is required.
My workshops help painters refine their personal technique in watercolor, pastel, oils, gouache, and acrylics. You will find your own voice and style without becoming anyone’s clone. These are intensive classes, with morning and afternoon on-site painting sessions and lunch-time discussions and demos.
We stress strategies, protocols, and best practices in painting to get you good results with the least amount of wasted time. That means more attention on drawing, brushwork and observation. You will learn to paint boldly, using fresh, clean color. You’ll learn to build commanding compositions, and to use hue, value and line to draw the eye through your paintings.
Carol L. Douglas is a painter and teacher from Rockport, ME.
A native of Buffalo, NY, she studied painting with her father and then at the Art Students League in New York. She lived and worked in Rochester, NY for 25 years before moving to Maine in 2016. She is an experienced plein air painter and teacher, and also has an extensive background teaching and painting figure.
She teaches a popular week-long workshop in Acadia National Park every August and workshops elsewhere in the US, including at Sedona Arts Center in March. She has a gallery at 394 Commercial Street, Rockport, ME.
Douglas has participated in Sedona Plein Air Festival for several years. Her painting blog, https://www.watch-me-paint.com/blog/, is one of the top-rated painting blogs by Google metrics.
Here’s a clothing packing list for a week of onsite painting. Many of you are familiar with Sedona and prepared for all eventualities, but for those of you who aren’t local, expect to be warm during the day and cool at night. Obviously, you should watch the weather and adjust to match:
Students may register online or call Sedona Arts Center Office at 928-282-3809, Ext 1 or toll free at 866-282-3809 Ext 1.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are accepted or student may pay with cash or check by registering in person during office hours Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
In-Person and Online Classes Cancellation
Payment in full is due upon registration, or a payment plan can be put in place by the student upon check-out through Sezzle.
There is a $125 Cancellation Fee for any cancellations made before February 9, 2026. Remaining balance will be refunded.
There are no refunds after February 9, 2026.
If Sedona Arts Center cancels the workshop for any reason, all payments made will be refunded in full.
Note: If traveling to Sedona, we strongly urge students to purchase refundable airline tickets or travel insurance in case of workshop cancellation due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen changes. Sedona Arts Center is not responsible for non-refundable ticket purchases or lodging fees.
Important Message
Sedona Arts Center is not responsible for providing make-up sessions or issuing refunds, credits, or transfers for courses missed as a result of illness, emergencies, or other events beyond our control. There are absolutely no refunds after the cut-off date for any reason, unless Sedona Arts Center has to cancel the workshop, then all fees paid will be refunded in full.
Beth Carr, Avon, NY
“A big part of the attraction of Carol’s classes and workshops are the super cool people I have met. The other part is Carol’s tenacious preparation, taking the teaching seriously and pushing her curriculum through new levels by listening to students’ needs and by Carol’s own insatiable quest for knowledge. The enthusiasm is contagious."
“The only reason I have any knowledge about art is because of Carol; I didn’t learn jack in art school.”
Mark Gale, Austin, TX
“As I was prepping paintings for a pop-up market, I found myself including a couple from a painting series I took with Carol Douglas. Then I realized I have sold paintings from in-person workshops and other Zoom series with Carol. Yes, she will make you a better painter. She also has an uncanny ability to deliver intangible extras. Students from across the country meet, form relationships and stay in touch. Carol alums have an enduring community. And sometimes, that piece you thought was just a class exercise, ends up in the hands of a happy customer.”
Carol Durkee, Waterville, ME)
“I have found many new and needed ways of working in watercolors, specifically the prep work… I never had lessons that included these steps, only workshops that were demos, then you were on your own, then a time of critique. Found out ideas that should have been done before I painted. So now I feel I’m on a good new track.”
Matthew Menzies, New York, NY
“When I arrived and met my classmates and began in foundations year, I realized that very few of the incoming students had had an opportunity to receive this traditional type of art training that I had with Carol. That early school work demonstrated that my drawing and color theory skills were far ahead of the curve, and I was very well equipped to deliver quality projects and work, and receive strong grades and professor reviews. Whenever anyone asks me about why and how I became a professional painter, and so successful at a young age, in the New York City art world I always tell them the incredible story of a master painter named Carol Douglas, who showed me a thing or two and then cut me loose with a paint brush and palette.”
Rebecca Phillips, Roslindale, MA
“The week started as an exercise in frustration, for all the varied reasons that make watercolor challenging. But Carol, with a sprinkling of her magic dust, managed to turn it into a high by Friday afternoon.”
Jody Augustadt, Gorham, ME
“What a magnificent experience this has been to meet everyone, be a part of a week of learning, living, creating, with like-minded artists and a teacher with significant range… I loved our week together and would do it again in a heartbeat. I learned so much from Carol, which was the icing.”
